The team were first to publish evidence of the presence of an IPN resistance gene in 2008; the beneficial version of the key gene appears to essentially prevent the death of salmon from IPN. For the first time in aquaculture, LNS used these results to apply marker-assisted selection, an advanced form of selective breeding, to improve resistance to IPN in their commercial strains.

The collaboration has continued with work underway to find the precise location of the gene in the salmon genome. New methods, based on the use of novel DNA sequencing technologies, were used to identify additional genetic markers, closer to the resistance gene. These improved Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers have recently been applied to families from the LNS breeding programme to select the most resistant fish for breeding. Read more...

AQUACULTURE can make a significant and sustainable contribution to feeding the world in 2050. That’s the conclusion of a booklet published by fish feed giant Nutreco.

To succeed, say the contributors, aquaculture must be developed in a responsible manner. The booklet features introductory texts from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which lead on to sections on the challenges, the potential role and the opportunities for aquaculture as a provider of protein for the population of the earth in 40 years time.

Wout Dekker, Nutreco chief executive, said: “We addressed the challenge for agriculture in our 2010 Feeding the Future booklet. Aquaculture has an equivalent challenge; contributing to the doubling of food production while halving the footprint. Seafood is widely appreciated as tasty and excellent nutrition. However, the ocean fisheries cannot increase yields without destroying the fish stocks on which they depend. Aquaculture must bridge the gap between fisheries and global demand.”

All stages of the aquaculture value chain are represented, from fishmeal and fish oil production through to fish processing and retailing, with top industry contributors at each stage. They are joined by politicians from China and the EU, industry organisations and academics. In his concluding remarks, Knut Nesse, the executive vice-president of Nutreco Aquaculture/Skretting Group, said: “Aquaculture can deliver seafood that is healthy and delicious. By ensuring we keep sustainability central in the growth of aquaculture we will open oceans of opportunity.”

Complaint says governments should be prosecuted for failing to prevent harm to wild species.

The European Commission (EC) should prosecute the Scottish and UK governments for failing to protect wild salmon from fish farming in Scotland's west coast rivers, according to a Highland laird. An 80-page dossier submitted on behalf of the Rhidorroch Estate at Ullapool in Wester Ross claims the UK has failed to designate an appropriate number of rivers as Special Areas for Conservation (SAC) to preserve wild Atlantic stocks under the EC habitats directive. The EC environment directorate will decide whether legal action is merited.

The complaint coincides with figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), which last week revealed a big increase in the use of pesticides in Scottish fish farming. The aquaculture industry's critics have long argued that it threatens the survival of wild salmon stocks. The estate details perceived threats to two existing SACs for Atlantic salmon, and alleged failure of the Scottish Government to protect the wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout of the west coast and Western Isles.

Representing Ullapool River owners Ewen and Jenny Scobie, Guy Linley-Adams, solicitor to the Salmon and Trout Association’s aquaculture campaign, said: “The failure of the Scottish Government to get to grips with the industry to ensure it does not damage wild species is nothing short of a disgrace. Read more...

CANADA - AgriMarine Holdings, a leader in floating closed containment technology and production for sustainable aquaculture, is pleased to announce its participation at the International Seafood Summit, taking place in Vancouver from January 31 to February 2, 2011.

Now in its ninth year the Seafood Summit, hosted by SeaWeb brings together global representatives from the seafood industry and conservation community to examine the factors influencing progress toward the goal of making the seafood marketplace environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Important issues such as sustainability and food security, traceability of seafood sources, impacts of ocean acidification, aquaculture, fair trade and certification, sustainability in developing nations along with the role of suppliers, chefs and others in the seafood chain will be discussed.

AgriMarine supports these critical discussions and has been invited to speak during the Sustainable Seafood and China panel discussion on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011. Read more...

Global fish consumption is on the rise as people increasingly look for healthy and nutritious food while about a third of world fish stocks need to be rebuilt and irregular fishing reined in, the United Nations said on Monday. Fish consumption rose to a record 17.2 kg per person per year in 2009 and would rise further as more people recognised the benefits of seafood, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a report.

A portion of 150 grams of fish provides 50-60 percent of the daily protein requirements for an adult and fish is also a source of various vitamins and minerals, the FAO said in the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report. Globally, fish provides more than 1.5 billion people with almost 20 percent of their average intake of animal protein.

China, the world's biggest fish producer, accounted for most of the global rise in per capita consumption due to a substantial increase in its fish production, mainly from the growth of aquaculture, the report said. Fish products are among the most-traded food commodities, with a record US$102 billion turnover in 2008, the report said. Read more...

Australian aquaculture company Clean Seas Tuna has used cost-cutting to help mitigate its financial losses in the first half of its financial year. Port Lincoln-based Clean Seas expects "a reduction in the order of 25 percent to 35 percent in the level of the after-tax loss" for the six months to December, 31, directors said this week in a market update.

In the six months to December 31, 2009, the company reported an after-tax loss of AUD14.16 million (US$14.0 million). It is now anticipating an after-tax loss of between AUD9.2 million (US$9.1 million) and AUD10.6 million (US$10.5 million). Producer of southern bluefin tuna (SBT), the firm is also Australia’s main farmer of yellowtail kingfish and mulloway, reports The Australian.

Clean Seas Chief Executive Clifford Ashby ascribed the superior first-half result to a mix of an efficiency drive and management which boosted "what we refer to as our farm gate (in the kingfish business), which is effectively the sales price, less processing and sales costs." And the company clarified that the winter season normally represents a time of slow growth for kingfish.

"While this impacts on the first half-year results, the sell-down of inventory, price increases and cost-saving initiatives have resulted in the company's kingfish business being cashflow-positive for the latest half," Clean Seas said. Read more...

Friday, January 28, 2011

MEXICO - Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have completed a new study on the geography of commercial fisheries in Northwest Mexico and the results could have far-ranging implications for the sustainable future of marine wildlife in the area.

The scientists, led by Scripps postdoctoral researcher Brad Erisman, analyzed data from local fisheries offices around the region that includes Baja California as well as Gulf of California coasts from Sonora south to Nayarit. The region accounts for more than 60 percent of fishing production in Mexico.

The scientists' goal was to detect any patterns between the geography of the species and their habitats in Northwest Mexico, and the localized fishing information revealed in the data. After poring over the data the researchers found clear-cut overlapping patterns in their analysis and used the results to create a new map proposing five clearly defined fishery sub-regions around Northwest Mexico.

While fisheries resources in Northwest Mexico are currently managed as one homogeneous area, the researchers' proposed sub-regions differentiate between areas rich in mangroves versus rocky shores, reefs versus soft sea bottoms, as well as temperate versus tropical regions, and geological features distinguishing west and east. Read more...

UK - Findus Group has welcomed the attention brought to the issue of sustainable aquaculture by Foresight, the Government’s futures think tank, in it its report published on 24 January 2011. The report, entitled ‘The Future of Food and Farming’, argues for fundamental change to the global food system and beyond if a rapidly expanding global population is to be fed over the next 40 years.

The Future of Food and Farming’, argues that aquaculture will have a major role to play in meeting the supply and resource challenges ahead and will need to produce more with increased sustainability. Commenting on the potential scope of aquaculture, the report claims that global productivity in aquaculture typically could, with limited changes to inputs, be raised by around 40 percent.

Leendert den Hollander, managing director, Young’s Seafood and Findus UK, said: “We welcome the attention this report has brought to the issue of sustainable aquaculture. As an ongoing source of good quality protein, fish has an essential part to play in the healthy diet of the UK consumer. Read more...

This letter was sent to Ian Roberts of Marine Harvest Canada. It was copied to The Chief for publication.

Re: Television ads on prime time are called “B.C. Salmon Facts TV spots” on YouTube while offering no facts at all and maligning the anti-fish farming lobby with accusations of misinformation.

These ads are made to look like "truth in advertising” ads, but are, in fact, the opposite.

What a shame that with all the money spent on those ads, CAN$1.5 million I hear, that the fish farming interests have not the tiniest bit of actual information to offer. The fact is that, in the face of all the actual evidence that is well documented worldwide, the fish farming industry is carefully withholding information, from the public and government, on diseases and infestations and the environmental impact of the industry.

We should certainly be careful not to believe everything we hear, starting with these ads. This underhanded ad campaign is in very poor taste but not more so than can be expected from Marine Harvest Canada and its multinational Norwegian-based partners.

For actual information regarding fish farms and their impact on our wild salmon see http://www.farmsalmonfacts.com/

Salmon farming companies on Vancouver Island's West Coast say they do not have any qualms with the regulation of aquaculture's recent change of hands from the province to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). "We think the regulation change will be [a] positive step forward for us and the industry," wrote Tim Rundle, general manager of Creative Salmon, in an email.

While the province continues to play a role in licensing, tenures, and business management within provincial health and safety guidelines, DFO is now responsible for overseeing fish health, sea lice levels, production volumes, fish containment and waste management. Rundle doesn't expect the regulatory change to affect daily operations, although DFO guidelines call for more frequency of data reporting and transparency of information.

"What we will see is an increase in the frequency and scope of regulatory reporting to DFO with the expectation that the majority of this reported data will become public," said Rundle. "The DFO is going to be reporting a lot of information on their website and that's information that's been provided to the province in the past," said Grant Warkentin, communications officer for Mainstream Canada, which operates 16 farm sites on the West Coast. Read more...

The past few weeks have marked an interesting time for salmon and salmon farming in B.C. The first commercial-scale ocean-based closed-containment salmon farm tanks are being installed near Campbell River, B.C., and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) closed its public comment period on draft certification standards for salmon farms.

Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser Basin Council showed that most British Columbians support making wild Pacific salmon the province’s official fish. The Cohen Commission inquiry into Fraser River sockeye salmon also resumed its hearings. Some of this activity illustrates our struggle to figure out whether or not farming salmon can be sustainable.

It’s an important but difficult question, in part because the definition of “sustainable” is hard to pin down. And, along with issues such as sea lice and other challenges with salmon farming, raising carnivorous fish like salmon will continue to raise questions about sustainability unless we find a way to feed them that doesn’t lead to the depletion of other wild fish. It’s necessary to be clear about whether we’re getting closer to working in balance with nature or whether we are just trying things out without understanding the full impacts. Read more...

The companies Pesquera Itata S.A. and Pesquera El Golfo have signed an agreement to merge all their operations and to create a new firm. The company is expected to begin operating within six months and is estimated to generate revenues of US$ 400 million annually. According to preliminary valuations performed by financial advisors from both companies, the participation of Pesquera Itata would be 54.24 percent, leaving El Golfo with 45.76 percent.

Information delivered to the Superintendency of Values and Insurance of Chile (SVS), stated that the decision to merge the two firms is due to "the new scenario caused by the reduction in mackerel quotas, which is expected to last for numerous years, the current regulatory uncertainty and a strategic decision by both companies to promote their businesses in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors." For his part, the president of El Golfo, Jaime Santa Cruz, said the future looks promising.

"The agreement which we have reached will allow us to face the future with great optimism, for both the extractive and aquaculture sectors, in which we operate very similarly and is complementary," said the businessman. According to Sergio Sarquis, president of Pesquera Itata, this decision was taken "in the current context of the reduced extraction quotas, regulatory uncertainty and the significant synergies that will arise from the merger of two companies that have very similar business cultures," reports the newspaper La Tercera. Read more...

“‘Innovation with Integrity’ has been a central attribute of Novus’ culture from the beginning. Our heritage has been built on developing innovative, science-based health through nutrition products for livestock, pets and people,” explained Thad Simons, president and chief executive officer of Novus. “We are very proud of our global network of employees, customers and partnerships and excited to embark on a year of celebration with the many people who support our continued growth and success.”

The company was founded in 1991, and today, has employees working in over 90 countries, serving more than 3,000 customers worldwide. Novus has facilities including corporate offices, research and development laboratories, and manufacturing operations in more than 35 countries, as well as offices with field staff in an additional 60 countries.

“ ‘Innovation with Integrity’ refers to our commitment to our clients, the industry and the environment. We seek to leverage technology and innovation to expand the capability of best practice agriculture to meet the world’s growing demand for food,” Simons added. “Our Vision ‘to help feed the world affordable, wholesome food and achieve a higher quality of life’ is always at the forefront of our thinking.”

Novus has planned a number of activities throughout the year to commemorate its 20th anniversary, including customer appreciation dinners across the globe, VIP trade-show events, special customer recognition activities and a gala celebration at the Global Headquarters on June 16, 2011.

So a big Congratulations to Novus International on its 20th anniversary and we at Perendale Publishers, International Aquafeed, Grain & Feed Milling Technology wish them well to their past success and to the future.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Leading Australian Atlantic salmon farm, Tassal, has recently completed trials comparing feeds with low levels of fishmeal and conventional feeds. Results showed no difference between the conventional 22 percent fishmeal feed and a 15 percent fishmeal feed made using Skretting’s MicroBalanceTM concept. An eight percent fishmeal feed also performed well enough for Tassal to consider this as a commercial option for grower feeds in 2011.

Tassal has a strong interest in sustainability, having appointed Linda Sams, Chief Sustainability Officer to the executive management team and a sustainability team reporting to her. “When we explained the MicroBalanceTM concept to Tassal, they were keen to test it in their own farming conditions,” says Rhys Hauler, Nutritionist and Product Manager with Skretting Australia. “We prepared two Optiline grower feeds for the trials, using the MicroBalanceTM concept.

This enables us to make feeds where fishmeal levels are much lower than usual by providing alternative proteins with a range of micronutrients conventionally derived from fishmeal. One Optiline feed had 15 percent fishmeal and the other only eight percent, both using a combination of local land animal proteins and local vegetable proteins. They were compared with an Apollo formulation with 22 percent fishmeal over a 74-day feeding period for the 15 percent formulation and 56 days with the eight percent product.”

A shrimp shell processing facility will be established in Twillingate with the help of a Can$500,000 loan from the provincial government, it was announced today. The initiative is expected to create up to 19 full-time jobs during periods the facility is operational.

According to a news release, the facility will dry and compact shrimp waste to produce two products: dried shrimp shells for shipment to China (to be processed into contamination-free glucosamine which is a non-vitamin, non-mineral dietary supplement), and a protein byproduct to be targeted to the aquaculture industry as a component of feedstock.

The facility will be operated by Eastern Star Group Canada Inc., a partnership between Canadian and Chinese entrepreneurs that is focused on commercial utilization of marine-based materials. Business Minister Derrick Dalley said the facility will result in new employment and other spin-off benefits for the local economy.

“This initiative is positive for the environment since the plant in Twillingate will no longer have to dispose of this waste material as it had in the past,” Dalley said. “Finally, the project sees the implementation of new technology that brings added value to the existing shrimp fishery.”

The Environmental Assessment Committee of the Los Lagos Region have approved numerous projects for US$ 38 million, with the aim of boosting the aquaculture sector in Los Lagos. According to the head of the regional government, Juan Sebastián Montes, these multi-million dollar investments will enable an economic recovery in the area, through the creation of new jobs.

"Another key aspect is that new jobs are not only concentrated in big cities but also in remote locations, such as Cochamó, Quinchao and Quellón, where companies plan to invest heavily in aquaculture," said the official.

The major projects which were approved were:

* The Piscícola Estero Palpitad Centre, belonging to Trusal, to be located in the town of Chaitén: US$ 1.5 million;
* The Piscicultura Río Grande Centre, headed by Salmones Maullín, which will be located in Cochamó: US$ 26 million;
* A fattening and breeding ground for salmon in a controlled cycle run by Río Dulce, in the commune of Quellón: US$ 8.7 million;
* Modifying the management of fish mortalities due to silage within Punta Apiao waters, owned by Marine Harvest Chile, in Quinchao: US$ 17,000;
* A mortality treatment system for the Quenac Centre, in the commune of Quinchao and owned by Salmones Antártica: US$ 120,000;
* Cultivation of mussels in the Este Punta Quiquel sector, by Canal Dalcahue: US$ 205,000.

The State Legislature in Hawaii is trying to fight the devastation that factory fish farming is bringing to local ecosystems. Two bills were introduced on Monday, one to stop the reckless expansion of the farms, and another that would require fish farming companies to conduct a full analysis of the environmental, socio-economic and cultural impact of their businesses.

Food & Water Watch applauds Representatives Mele Carroll and Faye Hanohano for taking a firm stance against the expansion of ocean factory farms and for recognizing the toll this highly subsidized industry has taken on both state taxpayers and on the ocean ecosystem. Read more...

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Canada - Reams of data released to the Cohen Inquiry on the Fraser River Sockeye show good health and honest reporting on salmon farms in the province according to British Columbia salmon farmers. On Friday, the BC Salmon Farmers Association released fish health data on 120 farms over a 10-year period, as per Justice Bruce Cohen’s ruling made in December as part of his Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River.

“Bringing together this extensive amount of information has been a challenge – but it tells a good story about the good health of our fish and the strong management practices on our farms,” said Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association. “We hope it will help Justice Cohen with the complex inquiry process that is underway.”

The information was ordered by the commission in early December 2010. Since then, the BC Salmon Farmers Association has been pulling together the data out of its Fish Health Database, which was established in mid-2002. Companies have been collecting available information from 2000 to that time. The data supports what has been reported publicly through the provincial government since the fish health database was established: that fish health standards on farms are very high, mortality rates are very low and there are no findings of exotic disease. Read more...

Texchem Resources Bhd (TRB), which claims to be the world's largest soft shell crab exporter, plans to depend less on wild-caught crabs and rear more of its own as it seeks to boost its aquaculture business. It has joined forces with Penang-based University Sains Malaysia (USM) to expand its local in-house hatchery expertise.

TRB yesterday signed a two-year memorandum of agreement with USM to jointly study and do pilot-scale trials at the university's Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies in Muka Head, Penang. Texchem also contributed RM200,000 (US$ 65,541) yesterday towards the centre for the pilot project. "We may invest a further RM500,000 (US$ 163,853) as we work towards commercialising this project," chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri Fumihiko Konishi told Business Times in Penang after the signing ceremony.

Present at the event at USM's main campus in Minden were its vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak and Texchem Food Sdn Bhd president and chief executive officer Brian Tan. Texchem Food supplies some 100 tonnes of crabs a month. It has seafood processing facilities in Malaysia and also Myanmar. "For the past 12 months," Konishi said, "Texchem Food Sdn Bhd has conducted laboratory-scale trials and experiments in the hatchery process of the Mud Crab. Read more...

Sanford says it has a strong position in aquaculture after buying Pacifica Seafoods and two initiatives with partners will help the industry grow. Sanford's acquisition of Pacifica Seafoods' Greenshell and Pacific Oyster business for NZ$85 million last year combined the two biggest industry participants.

"Leadership roles are not easily achieved or sustained and while such a role may become ours, the primary task ahead is to set and act by example and to influence and reconcile the best long-term and wider interests of the industry with those of the many individuals for whom mussel farming is the primary interest," chairman Bruce Cole told the annual meeting.

He said aquaculture was an important, if not essential, complement to the company's wild fishing interests. Managing director Eric Barratt outlined two developments in aquaculture which the company is expecting government approval for in the very near future. The first is a plan to domesticate and selectively breed New Zealand shellfish, particularly greenshell mussels in partnership with Sealord, Wakatu Incorporation and the Government. Read more...

The past few weeks have marked an interesting time for salmon and salmon farming in B.C. The first commercial-scale ocean-based closed-containment salmon farm tanks are being installed near Campbell River, B.C., and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) closed its public comment period on draft certification standards for salmon farms. Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser Basin Council showed that most British Columbians support making wild Pacific salmon the province’s official fish.

The Cohen Commission inquiry into Fraser River sockeye salmon also resumed its hearings. Some of this activity illustrates our struggle to figure out whether or not farming salmon can be sustainable. It’s an important but difficult question, in part because the definition of “sustainable” is hard to pin down. And, along with issues such as sea lice and other challenges with salmon farming, raising carnivorous fish like salmon will continue to raise questions about sustainability unless we find a way to feed them that doesn’t lead to the depletion of other wild fish.

It’s necessary to be clear about whether we’re getting closer to working in balance with nature or whether we are just trying things out without understanding the full impacts. Read more...

The death rate of young oysters on Northland's marine farms has now reached 50 percent, equating to a NZ$20 million loss to the industry, the Northland Regional Council was told yesterday. The council unanimously agreed to take part in a response team of central government and industry agencies initiated by MAF Biosecurity NZ last month. The team will carry out a wide range of investigations into the causes of the catastrophe as well as addressing social distress in the industry.

This may include a support package including Work And Income benefits for farm operators, processing staff and other associated staff. NRC aquaculture policy specialist Ben Lee, told the council he had got the information that losses had reached the 50 percent mark from Tom Hollings of industry umbrella group Aquaculture New Zealand, just minutes before the meeting. Council chief executive Ken Patterson said that figure was up 10 percent on the most recent figures previously to hand, making it clear the mortality rate was rising fast.

A report from staff members Dr Jacquie Reed, coastal program manager and Don McKenzie, biosecurity senior program manager, said the losses were likely to cause significant economic loss to the aquaculture industry in Northland and high social impact as the region's oyster firms faced severe financial hardship. Read more...

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

US - Oyster farmers backed by a state senator are challenging a law that will designate part of the Virginia shoreline for commercial shellfish farming. According to a report in the Richmond Times Dispatch, a total of 1,000 acres off the shores of the Northern Neck, the Middle Peninsula and Tangier Island could be earmarked for commercial shellfish farming.

The proposal put forward by Delegate Albert C. Pollard Jr. sees the creation of Aquaculture Opportunity Zones to promote the transition of watermen from the wild harvest of shellfish. The wild shellfish populations in the Chesapeake Bay area have suffered from pollution and disease in recent times.

The system prevents environmental pollution, and can operate in any climate regardless of the availability of water resource or proximity to the sea. The system has been tested and proven on a scientific basis and is now operated commercially.

The system can be used to farm sea bream, sea bass, barramundi, cobia and tilapia, according to GFA. The system helps to deal with the accumulation of inorganic nitrogen and organic waste products in intensive fish culture systems. Further information about the system can be found onhttp://growfishanywhere.com/

An environmentally friendly way of reducing the amount of salmon lice in Norwegian aquaculture is putting lice-eating wrasse together with the salmon. Research organisation Nofima reported a new large-scale project will be prepared for commercial aquaculture to ensure an adequate supply of the lice eaters.When it comes to eating salmon lice from large salmon, the Ballan wrasse is the most efficient wrasse, and it also gathers lice at lower temperatures than the other species, scientists at Nofima found.

A total of 2-5 percent of wrasse is needed in the sea cages in order to delouse the salmon, or in other words a cage containing 100,000 salmon requires 2000-5000 wrasse. The largest number of salmon lice found in the stomach of a single Ballan wrasse is 300, while the average is 70. The Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund (FHF) is behind this heavy investment, which stretches over a three-year period and has a budget of around NOK 26 million (UK£2.27 million). The objective is to develop the knowledge and experience that is necessary to attain a stable and predictable commercial production of the Ballan wrasse.

The wrasse are transferred to the sea cages and eat the sea lice on the farmed salmon, avoiding the need to use chemicals to delouse the salmon. “The effort which is now commencing is unique in both a Norwegian and global context. Norway is the only salmon-producing country that is using wrasse on a large scale to combat salmon lice,” says managing director of the research fund, Arne Karlsen. Read more...

CLEAN Seas is confident this year's breeding program at Arno Bay will produce commercial quantities of tuna. Clean Seas managing director Clifford Ashby said an intense research and development effort provided confidence that it was getting close to rearing adult tuna in commercial quantities.

"There's a definate air of optimism and confidence among the group, but we are effectively in a research and development phase," Mr Ashby said. "Spawning started late last week and has continued every day since with good numbers and viability of eggs." Mr Ashby said some of the best fish breeding intelligence in the world is going into the breeding program.

With increasing feed prices, researchers are looking at alternative diets for shrimp, says Dr D. Allen Davis from the University of Auburn, Australia. The values of shrimp seafood products are declining, stable or in some cases increasing only slightly which is wonderful news for the consumer. At the same time feed, fuel and processing costs are rapidly increasing and causing some US commercial aquaculture operations to cut production costs or go out of business.

Given a fixed formulation, the cost of shrimp feeds has almost doubled in the last two years. This is in response to a wide number of factors but was first triggered by rising and unprecedented increase in the price of fish meal from 2006 to 2008. The rapid increase in world fish meal prices was followed by a moderate increase in the cost of other protein sources and a recent rapid rise in grain prices. All of these taken together caused feed costs to nearly double without corresponding increases in the value of the final product.

Although fish nutrition research cannot change world prices, it can provide alternative formulations to moderate feed price increases. Fortunately for the shrimp industry, researchers have been working towards the goal of quantifying nutrient requirements and providing information on the use of alternative feed ingredients for some time. Traditional shrimp feed formulations include 20 to 30 percent fish meal which is one of the most costly protein sources. Fish meal is an ingredient for which world supply cannot be expanded and is considered a limiting factor for the continued expansion of aquaculture. Read more...

Between January and November 2010, Peruvian exports from non-traditional fisheries amounted to US$ 574.5 million, representing an increase of 21 percent over the same period last year, when they totaled US$ 475.2 million, according to the Association of Exporters (ADEX). The main destination for Peruvian resources stemming from non-traditional fisheries was occupied by the United States, which imported US$ 107.4 million, up 20 percent over the first 11 months of 2009.

In second place was Spain, which was responsible for purchasing US$ 101.6 million worth of shipments, a 45 percent increase compared to the period between January and November 2009. Then in third place came China, with imports of US$ 68 million and France in fourth place totaling US$ 66.3 million. Other destinations included South Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany and Venezuela.

According to ADEX, the major items which were exported were "cuttlefish, bobtail, squid and calamari, that were either frozen, dried, salted or in brine," all of which accounted for US$146.3 million worth of exports. ADEX continued by listing "scallops, that were also frozen, dried, salted or in brine", resulting in US$ 90.5 million worth of exports, as well as "other molluscs and aquatic invertebrates, which were prepared or preserved," for US$ 72.9 million.

Other items included "shrimp tails (Penaeus spp.), without being cooked in either water or steam, or frozen. Prepared or preserved anchovies, whole or in pieces, but not minced," among others. Read more...

Monday, January 24, 2011

The total catfish feed delivered in the United States during December was 3,324 tons, down one percent from December 2009 and down 74 percent from the previous month. Food-size catfish feed delivered totaled 3,270 tons, up two percent from the corresponding month a year ago. Feed delivered for fingerlings and brood-fish totaled 54 tons, down 59 percent from the corresponding month a year ago.

December feed delivered to Alabama catfish growers for food-size fish totaled 1,524 tons, down 37 percent from last year. Alabama accounted for 47 percent of the total food-size catfish feed delivered to US farmers. The other major States with catfish feed deliveries for food-size fish in December and their comparison to the previous year were Arkansas with 107 tons, up 10 percent; Louisiana with 27 tons, up 125 percent; and Mississippi with 385 tons, up 73 percent. Read more...

The Aquaculture division of Bennex has been sold to two Norwegian companies and forms the first part of a new aquaculture technology group to be branded Mohn Aqua. The company will establish operations in all major salmon farming markets. From the existing base in Forres, Scotland, Mohn Aqua manufactures underwater camera, control systems and water quality monitoring technology for marine cage farms.

The company also continues to work in partnership with Airmar Technology (seal and sea lion deterrent systems) globally and with VAKI (counting, grading and biomass estimation systems) in the UK and Ireland. The company has been acquired by two Bergen, Norway based companies – ROV manufacturer Argus Remote Systems AS and offshore services company Mohn Drilling AS.

Chris Hyde, Managing Director said “We are very pleased that the acquisition of Bennex Aquaculture has been completed. Our new owners bring a wealth of offshore technology and experience into our operation and we are very excited about what the future as the Mohn Aqua Group holds for us.” Read more...

The Ministry of Marine Affairs - of the Xunta de Galicia - issued a call for aid to aquaculture, amounting to EUR 16 million to enhance the competitiveness of the sector and promote the economic, social and productive nature of the industry.

According to a notice published on Thursday in the Official Galician Newspaper (Diario Oficial de Galicia - DOG), 61 per cent of the financial aid will be granted by the European Fisheries Fund and distributed in three installments:

* 2011: EUR 8 million
* 2012: EUR 4 million
* 2013: EUR 4 million

Projects eligible for this grant are those that are aimed at "the construction, expansion, equipping and modernization of aquaculture facilities, actions aimed at diversifying new species or species production with new market opportunities," reads the statement. Read more...

New fish farms out at sea, and cleaner operations along the shore, could provide the world with a rich supply of much needed protein. Neil Sims tends his rowdy stock like any devoted farmer. But rather than saddling a horse like the Australian sheep drovers he grew up with, Sims dons a snorkel and mask to wrangle his herd: 480,000 silver fish corralled half a mile off the Kona coast of Hawaii’s Big Island.

Tucked discretely below the waves, Sims’s farm is one of 20 operations worldwide that are trying to take advantage of the earth’s last great agricultural frontier: the ocean. Their offshore locations offer a distinct advantage over the thousands of conventional fish farms—flotillas of pens that hug the coastline. Read more...

The community is invited to the event, which is co-hosted by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. Open Ocean Cage Culture is based on spherical or double cone-shaped cages made of a kevlar-like, high strength polyfiber netting, with a steel pipe frame giving them semi-rigidity, and are submerged to 40 to 75 feet. The cages are anchored to the sea floor with cement blocks and are submerged 40 to 75 feet.

The size of the cages can be anywhere from 20,000 to 1.4 million cubic feet. A 100,000 cubic feet cage holds about 60,000 fish. For harvest, the cages are brought up to the surface by blowing air into the frame pipes, just like in a submarine. The cages are best situated in water depths from 50 to 200 feet, depths that can be found just outside the reefs in the CNMI. Read more...

Mark McNaughton shakes a handful of pellets across the dark water and watches it start to roil. The placid surface hiding hundreds of sleek tilapia explodes with a slap and splatter. Almost as quickly, the fish slip back down to the bottom of the tank; only the paler ones remain visible, ghostlike under the water.

Here, in a converted hog barn surrounded by acres of snow-covered grain fields, McNaughton and his family raise tens of thousands of the freshwater fish before shipping them live to stores in Calgary and Edmonton. It's unexpected, the idea of raising fish on the bald prairie, but it's not as unusual as it once was, says McNaughton, who also heads up the Alberta Aquaculture Association.

There are 10 fish farms in Alberta, three of which focus on tilapia; the rest raise trout and a few also have carp. Tilapia has been farm-raised for decades and is second only to carp for being the most cultured fish around the world. Read more...

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith TD and Minister of State, Sean Connick TD, have met with the CEO of Marine Harvest ASA to discuss the potential for significant expansion of the aquaculture industry in Ireland. Marine Harvest is one of the world's biggest seafood companies, which has extensive investment in the aquaculture industry right along the western seaboard of Ireland,

Mr. Alf-Helge Aarskog, CEO of the Norwegian based multi-national company and Mr Jan Feenstra CEO of Marine Harvest Ireland, outlined to the Ministers the challenges, opportunities and potential for finfish production globally. The company's Irish fish farms, in Donegal, Mayo, Cork and Kerry, have been expanding production and hope to produce between 10,000 and 12,000 tonnes of salmon for export from Ireland this year.

The company has been increasingly moving to the production of premium organic salmon and this year expect that 70 percent of their Irish production will be sold in prime European markets as organically produced fish. The company, which currently employs 250 people in Ireland and 5,000 worldwide sees significant potential to double production and employment in. Ireland over the next ten years. Read more...

Canada - Salmon farming standards being proposed by an industry trade association, don’t address the most critical environmental and social threats resulting from current open net pen salmon farming – particularly on Canada’s West Coast, environmental groups said earlier this week.

“The GAA has proposed a set of standards that primarily require that the certified operation has complied with the law and is trying to do a good job,” said Jay Ritchlin, director of the marine and freshwater conservation program at the David Suzuki Foundation.

“While this may offer some value by discouraging the worst farming practices, it shouldn’t be confused with an indication of significantly improved social or environmental performance by these aquaculture operations.”

The GAA is creating a lot of confusion by promoting the standard as Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) while also designing a standard that will certify a large majority of existing salmon aquaculture operations globally without any change in operations. Read more...

US - Farm-raised catfish processed during December 2010 totaled 34.8 million pounds round weight, up three percent from December 2009. The average price paid to producers was 86.1 cents per pound for December 2010, up 2.0 cents from last month and 9.8 cents above a year ago.

Net pounds of processed fish sold during December 2010 totalled 16.9 million pounds, up two percent from the comparable month in 2009. Sales of fresh fish, at 6.04 million pounds, were down one percent from December 2009 and represented 36 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 10.8 million pounds, were up three percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 64 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 18 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 62 percent, and the remaining 20 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The total end of the month inventory increased two percent from last month but was down 15 percent from a year ago.

The total fresh and frozen average price for December 2010 was US$2.60, up 14 cents from a year ago. The December 2010 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was US$2.52 per pound, up 13 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were US$1.71 per pound, up 14 cents from December 2009. Prices for fresh fillets were up 13 cents from a year ago at US$3.32 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged US$2.64 per pound, up 13 cents from December 2009. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up 12 cents at US$2.34 and frozen fillets at US$3.06 per pound were up 15 cents from a year ago. Read more...

Marine Farms Vietnam, in collaboration with Nordic Group, will launch a major public relations campaign in the coming months to promote farm-raised cobia to restaurants, grocery stores, caterers, and consumers in the United States. The sashimi-grade fish has been test marketed and received high marks for its versatility and flavor by restaurant groups nationwide where the cobia has been served plated, in buffets, chowders, and sushi.

The public relations program will include social media, a new website, cooking demonstration videos, recipes developed by professional chefs, direct marketing, presentations, media relations, and promotional materials for customers. "We firmly believe that it is finally time for cobia to live up to its promise as the 'next sensation in the seafood industry,'" said Terje Korsnes, CEO of Nordic Group.

"We have gone through the quiet phase of product development. It is now time to raise the product profile and create awareness at every level of the trade." Carlos Massad, managing director of Marine Farms Vietnam, calls cobia "the ideal aquaculture fish. It compares in taste and has many of the same characteristics as Chilean sea bass and hamachi, grows to 12 pounds in just 12 months, has more Omega-3 oils than salmon, and is priced competitively. Read more...

This year, Vietnam’s seafood industry targets to farm and catch 5.3 million tonnes of seafood, and earn US$5 billion in exports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Directorate of Fisheries. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said the sector would develop through increased focus on quality and value improvement, by expanding farming areas, and by further developing key product such as tiger prawns, white-leg shrimp, catfish and oysters.

Aside from expanding the scale of catfish and shrimp production, localities should create favourable conditions for qualified and hygienic breeding to ensure enough materials for production, he said. To increase export value, the sector plans to develop traditional as well as potential markets, such as China, South Korea, Russia, the US, the EU and Japan. Le Thanh Luu, head of the Aquaculture Research Institute No1, said promoting trade and predicting changes in natural resources related to the industry were crucial.

Nguyen Viet Thang, chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Society, said that to maintain long-term sustainable development of the sector, Vietnam should not focus only on exports but also on domestic consumption. Currently, there are 150 enterprises and 4,000 household businesses producing goods for domestic consumption. Labourers working in these businesses, however, only account for 12.7 per cent of the total workers in the sector, according to Tran Thi Dung, director of the Centre for Fisheries Planning. Read more...

Our wilderness coastline is under attack from the government’s plans to speed up the development of marine farms, says Forest & Bird. Forest & Bird was originally established to protect New Zealands native forests and birds, but their role has been extended in recent years to include protection of all native species and wild places – on land and in oceans, lakes and rivers.

The organization states that people concerned about protecting the marine environment and the coast, have only until Friday 11 February to send a submission on the Aquaculture Legislation Amendment Bill (No 3) to Parliament’s primary production select committee. The bill, introduced to Parliament in November, will loosen the rules for marine farming and encourage the industry’s development through government handouts, while limiting the opportunities for the public to comment on proposals in their area.

“This will lead to another gold rush for coastal space. We will lose iconic coastal seascapes, clean coastal waters and many special seafloor communities,” said Forest & Bird North Island Conservation Manager Mark Bellingham. “It will also have serious consequences for coastal boat owners and fishers, who will have to navigate their way around rafts of fish and mussel farms,” Dr Bellingham said. Read more...

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development plans sustainable development of tra fish (pangasius) production, focusing on quality control and efficient economic methods. The ministry held a meeting in Can Tho City on January 18 to review tra fish production and consumption in 2010 and make plans for 2011.

Nguyen Huu Dung, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), was of the view that farmers should not raise more tra fish than needed which causes redundancy and devaluation in the market. He thought that in order to build a stable brand name for the Vietnamese fish in the world market, quality and efficiency must be addressed by tra fish breeders.

Pham Thi Hoa, deputy head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, claimed her department was working on a trial working model along with three seafood companies to create better coordination between enterprises, breeders, fish feed suppliers and management agencies.

Enterprises would form the key nodule of the model and would instruct farmers to raise the quantity of tra fish based on orders and the enterprises would then have to purchase the entire produce, she added. The new working model would be monitored closely by the department, she said. Read more...

The Country Director of Madamfo Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mr. Emmanuel Stephenson Kumadey, has stressed the need for the government to adopt strategies that would help provide effective financial support to the private sector, to enable it establish small scale industries.

Mr. Kumandey noted that when this is done, it would go a long way to facilitate the development program of the country, and help in the quest of creating jobs for the teeming growing population of unemployed youth, and lessen the pressure on the state to provide jobs for the youth.

The Country Director of Madamfo Ghana, said this at Awate-Tornu, when he briefed the media on the viability of cage farming embarked upon by the organisation to create jobs for the youth, and serve as income generation to raise funds to enable the NGO assist in community development activities in the area.

Mr. Kumandey continued that the cage fish farming system was a lucrative venture, and needed to be encouraged, because the maturity period of tilapia, which his organisation had started, was between four to six months for the market, and would serve as one of the best income generating activities. Read more...

Malaysia - the agriculture and agro-based industry ministry is confident the nation's aquaculture production target of 727,300 metric tonnes worth RM7 billion (US$ 2,29 billion) will be achieved by 2015. Its deputy minister, Datuk Wira Mohd Johari Baharum, said it would enable Malaysia to exceed its protein self-sufficiency from fish and increase readiness for export to the global market.

Such development was expected to offer about 40,000 job opportunities to locals, he said. He was speaking to reporters after the launch of the Terengganu Aquaculture Investment Seminar by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said here today. Also present was Fisheries Department director-general Datuk Ahamad Sabki Mahmood.

Mohd Johari said the government had formulated a policy and direction for competitive aquaculture with various strategies for implementation through a development program in the next five years. He said the government would also create a pro-business environment to encourage participation from the private sector and generate growth in the local aquaculture industry. Read more...

In the world of closed-containment aquaculture, it appears size matters.

That was never more true in the Campbell River area than in the past few weeks as a massive floating solid-wall tank was built on the waterfront by the Agrimarine Industries/Middle Bay Sustainable Aquaculture Institute partnership. The first of four planned tanks was floated into Middle Bay near Quadra Island this week, drawing praise from environmentalists and Fin Donnelly, the New Democrat Fisheries and Oceans critic.

"The successful launch of Agrimarine's closed containment tank in Campbell River is a major step forward in creating a sustainable and responsible aquaculture industry in British Columbia," Donnelly said. "We have the potential to be leaders in closed containment aquaculture technology. The prospective jobs and economic opportunities are huge." The project received federal funding through Sustainable Development Technology Canada, a non-profit foundation created by the federal government in 2001 to help build sustainable development technology in Canada.

In May, Donnelly introduced the Wild Salmon Protection Act, bill C-518, which would strengthen the Fisheries Act by moving harmful, open-net fish farms to safe, closed containment systems. "This installation proves the technology to move to closed containment now exists and is viable. Canadians want to see safe aquaculture which the market is now demanding," said Donnelly. Read more...

Singapore, Some fish farmers here do not want to be small fry. That is why 24 of them have banded together to form a cooperative, to reel in larger harvests and net better deals from buyers and suppliers. The first farm co-op here, the Singapore Marine Aquaculture Cooperative was given the green light two weeks ago. An application had been filed with the Registry of Co-operative Societies in September last year.

The 24 members own eight fish farms in total, each more than half a hectare in size. The co-op’s goal is to scale up production of the four main types of fish reared here - seabass, tiger grouper, red snapper and golden trevally - to an average of 120 tonnes a month for each farm by next year. In the whole of last year, each harvested an average of 60 tonnes of fish. The fish, fattened up from fry from countries such as Indonesia and Taiwan, will be sold at wet markets, restaurants and supermarkets.

The co-op has inked a contract to buy 800,000 fish fry a month until April next year from a hatchery in Indonesia, said the co-op’s founder Philip Lim, owner of a fish farm in Pasir Ris. ‘Without a co-op, farmers cannot get consistent supplies of fish fry or feed as suppliers cannot be bothered to sign contracts with such small players,’ he added, noting that bulk buying also reduces costs. Read more...

In 1994 Tunisia drafted a strategic development plan for aquaculture identifying appropriate sites and necessary raw material inputs estimating an annual production potential of 20 000 tonnes from aquaculture, including marine, freshwater and brackish fish, mussels, shrimp and algae. Despite this prediction and various incentives to promote the growth of the sector, aquaculture production reached only 3 366 tonnes in 2007, about three per cent of the total annual fisheries production. There are currently 21 companies operating in the sector producing European seabass and gilthead seabream, mullets, carp, tilapia, mussels and oysters. There are also four tuna fattening companies with a total production capacity of 1 500 tonnes in 2007 (520 tonnes as added fattening weight)

There are no feed mills in Tunisia, however, and all fish feed is imported from Europe, though since 2006 import duties on juveniles, feed and cages have been abolished. In the 2007–2016 development plan, measures have been adopted to boost investment in the sector including the above-mentioned lifting of import duties on necessary equipment and raw material inputs, subsidies on feasibility studies and actual investment in new production units (7–12 percent of the total investment value) and the creation of a technical research centre. Read more...

Several known species of Perkinsus can cause disease in shellfish. However, it is not always clear which species of shellfish will become infected or clinically diseased by which species of Perkinsus. It seems that Perkinsus-like organisms may be an incidental finding in some instances, and in other instances, the Perkinsus-like organisms appear to cause disease. There are most likely species of Perkinsus that have not yet been described.

Detection of these organisms in an infected animal may be possible during a routine necropsy; however, light infections may be difficult to diagnose. When Perkinsus is found, determining which species is present requires specialized molecular testing that few labs are able to do. Because of the potential importance of these organisms in shellfish disease, it is strongly recommended that an expert in shellfish diseases be consulted when Perkinsus is found or suspected. Read more...

World pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) production has increased ten-fold since 2002 and now stands at approximately 1.5 million tons, with the vast majority coming from Vietnam. Such rapid expansion has not been without controversy or environmental impact. However, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) believes the problems associated with this exponential growth can be managed with the development of strong regional management and governance particularly with respect to water usage, feeds and effluent management.

At this time, SFP is not recommending companies abandon pangasius as some groups have, as the issues are not, as some would suggest, related to seafood safety but environmental stewardship and oversight. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) while moving pangasius to the “red list” has noted that this action was related to governance.

Are recent attacks by some organisations seeking to create fear in the minds of consumers with respect to pangasius safety? Are these efforts part of a larger campaign to limit the species’ share of the US seafood market? In 2009 pangasius entered the National Fisheries Institute “Top Ten” species, a reflection of the growing popularity of this mild, white-fleshed fish, asks Howard Johnson, SFP. SFP has been actively involved with Vietnamese pangasius issues for the past three years starting with their work on water quality monitoring in conjunction with Can Tho University. Read more...

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